Public Good Must Trump Special Interests at Queen’s Park

For Immediate ReleaseFebruary 17, 2015
 
(Queen’s Park): Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner is calling on the Liberal government to prioritize good public policy for the people of Ontario. The Liberals need to take a stand and say no to special interest groups that want to preserve their privileged position by maintaining the status quo.
 
“From special deals for big beer to backroom nuclear negotiations, from loopholes for developers to letting big oil and gas pollute for free, this government must begin to put the public good before special interests,” says Schreiner. 
 
Schreiner outlined the Green Party of Ontario’s five priorities for the spring sitting of the Legislature:
 

1. Address the climate crisis — by putting a price on carbon pollution with a carbon fee and dividend policy. This policy makes polluters pay and places the revenues into a dedicated account, that is returned directly to the people of Ontario as a dividend cheque.
2. Reduce electricity costs — by conducting a public review of the costs and alternatives to rebuilding the Bruce B Nuclear Station and the Darlington Nuclear Station.
3. Liberate local beer — by allowing Ontario Craft Beers stores to open, and by ending specials deals for the foreign owned Beer Store.
4. Place a moratorium on school closures — until the funding formula is revised and a public review of merging the public and Catholic school boards is completed.
5. Put food, water and natural resources first — by permanently protecting prime farmland and source water regions, closing loopholes that allow developers to run roughshod over communities, and ending the fire sale of Ontario’s natural resources.

“Business as usual has Ontario headed over a cliff,” says Schreiner. “We can’t afford for this government to keep saying yes to the status quo. Greens will continue to mobilize the public to pressure the government to end sweetheart deals for outdated special interests.”
 
The Green Party of Ontario is on a mission to bring honesty, integrity and good public policy to Queen’s Park.
 
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